


Third Time’s the Charm

by muscatmusic18



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Woo I’m bad at summaries, endgame cartinelli
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-15 08:29:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13609506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muscatmusic18/pseuds/muscatmusic18
Summary: Snapshots of Peggy Carter’s life and her relationships, and the one that’s been in front of her all along.





	Third Time’s the Charm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AgentMint](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentMint/gifts).



> Okay so the word count got a little away from my but more is better, right?  
> Thanks to thecoldestginger for making sure there weren’t any glaring plot holes :)

_February 14th, 1944 ~ the outskirts of London_

Peggy Carter stared at the man walking down the sidewalk, and as she suspected, he ducked into the old brick building they were canvassing. Through the window painted with the name of the store, she could see the man slip an envelope onto the counter before walking to the back of the shop and disappearing behind a door. She strained her eyes, trying to gage what could be inside the package he just dropped off.

“Who would use a flower shop as a front for a military operation?”

Peggy sighed at the question coming from her comrade in the passenger seat. “I don’t know, Dugan, I’m not the one who came up with it. That was our guy, radio the others and tell them to get ready to breech.”

“I’m just saying, aren’t people going to wonder when you’re getting big packages delivered and all you ever sell is flowers?” Dugan said, rifling through the glove box and ignoring her order.

“I’m glad you’ve given this matter so much thought, now would you please stop whatever you’re doing and radio the others before I force you to?”

“Yes ma’am Peggy ma’am.” He gave a small salute before picking up the radio in his lap. “Big Muscle this is Eagle Eyes, do you copy, over.”

Peggy finally looked at him, scoffing. “Dugan, those are the worst code names I’ve ever heard, what were you thinking?”

He shrugged. “What? Rogers has big muscles, we’re the look out, I thought they were pretty clever.”

Before she could respond, the radio crackled and Steve’s voice came through. “I copy, is it go time?”

“That’s what your girlfriend says. We’ll go in; when you see the signal, come in and give us some backup.”

“Roger that.”

Dugan set down the radio and looked to Peggy. “Ready?”

“As ever. What’s the signal?”

“When he hears a gunshot or sees us fighting.”

She rolled her eyes, checking the cartridge of her gun. “Whatever happened to planning out the details of a mission?”

“We did,” Dugan replied, tucking a couple of guns into his holster. “Last night, like you told us too. We made sure everyone knew the gist of the plan and then we went over code names.”

Peggy gave him an incredulous look. “I leave you boys alone for one night and look what happens.” She opened the car door before turning to look at Dugan again. “And he’s not my boyfriend.”

She heard his snort from outside, but elected to ignore it and headed for the storefront. Dugan caught up with her on the sidewalk, and together they walked into Johnson’s and Cabot’s Flower Emporium.

A bell on the door rang as they walked in, and the man at the counter smiled at them.

“Good afternoon ma’am, and sir. Are you looking for some flowers for your lady?”

Peggy felt Dugan barely stifle a laugh next to her and she felt the urge to elbow him in the side. Instead, she smiled at the attendant.

“No, actually, I was wondering if you knew anything about this.” She pulled a picture out of her jacket of a canister of the gas that this front was rumored to have and showed it to him.

The smile quickly faded from his face, and before they knew what was happening the attendant pulled a gun from underneath the counter and pointed it at Peggy.

“Who are you?”

She set the picture down and slowly raised her hands, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Dugan do the same. “Answer my question first,” she demanded.

“I’m the one with the gun!” he yelled, gesturing it to make his point.

Instead of answering, Peggy glanced over to Dugan and an understanding passed through them. She grabbed the attendant’s wrist, quickly disarming him while Dugan pulled out his pistol.

The attendant jumped over the counter much faster than she expected and attacked her, throwing such a strong punch that she had to drop his gun to block it. Before Dugan could help, four more guys came out of the back room, attacking them.

“Dugan, what happened to backup coming in when we started fighting?” she managed to shout, ducking a jab from the attendant and throwing her own.

“I’m sure they’ll be here soon,” he responded.

Only half paying attention to his response, Peggy managed to knock the attendant out with a quick slap to the side of the head, only to be attacked by another man. He was shorter than her and not as strong as the others, but while she was occupied with him another one came up behind her and put her in a chokehold. A bolt of panic went through her as her airway closed off, but she managed to kick his knee and loosen his grip. He swore, trying to grab onto her again, but she twisted and he missed.

“Fucking bitch,” he growled, but the insult only made her smirk. He charged again and she easily dodged it. On his way passed she brought her elbow down into his back, sending him down to the floor. She spun around to find the next fight, but her previous opponent was suddenly up and on her, grabbing ahold of her coat and throwing her into a table full of vases and flowers like a rag doll.

Peggy instinctively covered her face before she crashed into the table but it still didn’t prepare her for the hail of glass flying around her.

Seconds passed and she didn’t move. She knew she should try get up and protect herself from kicks and punches or maybe even a gunshot, but she couldn’t do anything.

The initial daze finally wore off and she groaned, trying to roll onto her side. Immediately she regretted it, glass digging into every inch of her. Instead she opened her eyes, blinking the away the blurriness to see Steve, Bucky, and Gabe bursting into the building, easily overcoming the three remaining men and securing the rest of the building.

By this time she was able to roll onto her side and push herself into a sitting position, wincing at the glass now embedded in her hands. She was just about to stand when Steve came back into the room, running over to where she sat.

“Peggy!” He knelt down, looking her over. “Are you alright?”

She gave a mirthless laugh. “Just a few scrapes,” she said, pulling a piece of glass out of her palm with a hiss.

Steve shook his head, looking down at her bloody palms again. “You sure you’re alright? I mean, he threw you across the room.”

She nodded. “Nothing I haven’t handled before.” Peggy looked into his eyes, the concern in them making her smile. “I’m okay, truly.”

He brushed a few shards of glass out of her hair, before smiling faintly and pulling a rose petal out of her hair. He suddenly blushed, seeming to realize he was presenting her with a crumpled petal.

“I was hoping for a bouquet for Valentine’s Day,” she murmured, “but I suppose this has more meaning.”

His eyes widened. “I didn’t realize you wanted anything, I—“

“Steve,” she interrupted, touching his shoulder, “I was joking.”

He let out an embarrassed laugh, looking away from her, when suddenly he reached down a picked a rose up from the floor, mostly undamaged, and gave it to her.

“Best I could do on short notice,” he said, proudly smirking.

Any retort died on Peggy’s lips as the sheer kindness of the gesture. She took the bloom and gently touched the petals, admiring it.

She looked back at him, surprised by the intensity of his gaze. “Thank you,” she murmured, suddenly wishing that they had a more defined relationship so that she’d know if she could kiss the impossibly sweet man in front of her.

“Like hell he’s not your boyfriend, look at you two.” They jumped apart as Dugan’s booming voice sounded behind them, breaking the spell woven around them.

She sighed and stood, wincing at the shards of glass that had somehow ripped through her coat and were now embedding themselves into her shoulder. “Dugan, make yourself useful and find me a handkerchief.”

“Yes ma’am.” He turned away, still smirking at the two of them.

Peggy picked her way through the debris and went into the back room. In there was flowers and vases and such, but there were also dozens of wooden crates, full of guns and, just as they had suspected, the experimental gas that Hydra was rumored to have.

“This seemed much to lightly guarded,” she mused, closing the lid on one of the crates.

Steve nodded next to her, examining the rest of the room. “I guess we should just be thankful that this was so easy,” he said, though he didn’t sound confident.

She fell silent for a minute before shaking her head, pulling herself out of her thoughts. “Let’s go over everything with a fine toothed comb; if there’s something out of place here, I want to know.”

~~~~~~~~~

Later that evening, after every nook of that flower shop had been investigated, the Howling Commandos had gone back to camp, still perplexed by the lack of security guarding seemingly important and valuable tech.

Peggy sat at her desk with a pair of tweezers and a bowl of water, bracing herself to dig the next shard out of her palm.

The flaps of her text suddenly swished open, and Steve lightly knocked on the front supporting pole. “Need some help?”

She sighed and put down the tweezers. “Yes, actually. There’s a few shards in my shoulder that I can’t reach.”

He crossed the small space and sat down next to her. He picked up her hand, inspecting the scratches covering it. “What were you going to do if I hadn’t come to help?”

“Slink to the medical tent under the cover of night so no one would see me.”

Steve chuckled and picked up the tweezers, focusing on a piece in her thumb. “Gabe told me that the five men are being interrogated in London, but so far they’re not talking.”

She hummed to cover the whimper rising in her throat. “Doesn’t surprise me. There was something else going on at that location, and I doubt they’ll willingly give up it’s secrets.”

They sat in a comfortable silence; Steve focused on her injuries, Peggy pondering how such a powerful man could have such a gentle touch.

Her musings were cut short when he started to wrap a bandage around her hand. When he was finished, he spoke up. “I’m done here. How about your shoulder?”

She wordlessly turned and gingerly took off her shirt, exposing the wounds. After a few moments of wondering why he hadn’t started, she turned her head only to find him staring at her and blushing, tweezers clenched in his fist.

She smiled and turned back, gathering her hair over the opposite shoulder. “I’m not going to bite, Steve.”

“Right. Sorry,” he said behind her. Peggy heard him scoot his chair closer, and then his hands were on her skin, warm and soft.

And then they left, and the tweezer was digging into her wounds, sending sharp pain radiating through her shoulder.

“I preferred your hands to the tweezer,” she gasped, hands clenching the back of her chair.

He paused, and Peggy swore she could hear him gulp behind her. “So did I,” he managed, surprising her. Usually he blushed when she made a suggestive comment, but lately he had become bolder, smiling rather than blushing, even coming up with suggestive comments of his own. The change wasn’t unwelcomed, though. In fact, she rather liked it.

When he was done, he gently pressed a bandage onto the wounds, a gesture she appreciated, but all she could think about were the stray touches of his hands on her bare skin. Their warmth was enough to make her lean into his touch, but the rough calluses on his fingertips only added to the sensation, and she swore there were sparks under her skin wherever he touched her.

His hands stilled. The bandage was on, but neither one moved, desperately wanting to go further but not knowing if they should. She went to turn in her chair, deciding to look at him face to face, but before she could he trailed a finger down her spine, stopping just above the band of her bra.

Goosebumps crawled along her back and she shivered, arching into his touch. She wanted to tell him to go further, to explore her however he wished, but before her voice could work, he took his touch away and reality set in.

She pulled her shirt back on and turned in her chair, smiling when she met his gaze. Steve smiled back, but quickly averted his gaze to the towel in his lap, fiddling with it.

“Do you have plans for the rest of tonight?” Peggy asked.

He glanced back up at her. “Yeah, I was gonna see if Bucky wanted to grab a drink.” He paused, meeting her gaze. “You’re welcome to come with, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. He’d probably love to have you there.”

She laughed a bit and shook her head. “Not tonight, I’m afraid. I think my body deserves some rest after being thrown into a table.”

He nodded. “Yeah…” He stood, setting the towel on the desk. “Well, if you change your mind…”

“Of course.” He turned to leave, but she called after him. “Steve?”

He looked back at her, and she smiled. “Next time you’re here…” she paused, gathering courage, “you don’t have to leave. I’d love to have you stay with me.”

Peggy expected him to blush, but instead he smiled back at her, more confident then she’d ever seen. “I’ll remember not to make plans next time.”

With that he turned and left, and she found herself grinning like a doe eyed schoolgirl. Her whole life, a boy has never phased her quite as much as Steve Rogers, the artist from Brooklyn who didn’t know how to talk to women.

She pressed her hands to her cheeks, hoping to cool the blush rising, and took a few deep breaths. She finally felt her body calm down, so she spent the rest of the night trying to work her way through a stack of files on her desk, but all she could really focus on was the feeling of his skin against hers…

~~~~~~~~~

_August 19th, 1950 ~ New York_

Peggy sat in one of the living rooms of Angie’s house; technically, it was still Howard’s penthouse, but he most likely didn’t even remember that he has it, so for all intents and purposes, it’s Angie’s. She smiled, reminising on the time they lived there together while she waited for Angie to come back with Schnapps and rhubarb pie (they never did see which made them sick first). She studied the apartment, smiling at all the little touches that made it feel like a home. Scripts scattered across the coffee table, furniture moved to the sides of the room so choreography could be practiced, and sheet music scattered all over a baby grand in the next room.

Angie came bustling back into the room, setting the pie and liquor on said coffee table before flopping back down on the couch. “Alright English, you ready for tonight?”

Peggy beamed. “Of course, it’s been forever since we’ve had a night to ourselves.”

“And whose fault is that, moving out to California?”

Peggy laughed and sat up, picking up a fork and taking a generous bite of the pie. “Well, I’m moving back, does that make you happy?”

“Yes in fact, it does.” Angie poured them both a drink, handing one to Peggy.

Peggy took the drink and swallowed hard. “Again, thank you for letting me stay here while I wait for Daniel to come out with our belongings.”

Angie waved her hand. “It’s no trouble, English, that’s what friends are for.” She paused, taking a sip of her drink before continuing. “Speaking of, how is Danny?”

“He’s wonderful,” Peggy grinned, automatically rubbing the band on her left index finger.

Angie sat up, bouncing slightly. “Let me see the ring!”

Peggy laughed and held out her hand, adorned with a engagement ring that had a single round cut diamond set atop a diamond studded band.

Angie took her hand and examined the ring, finally letting out a whistle. “Danny outdid himself with this one.”

Peggy nodded. “I’ve never been one to care about the ring, but,” she looked at Angie with a glimmer in her eyes, “I’m happy to show this one off.”

Angie laughed and sat back again, taking another sip of her drink. “So,” she started, “you think he’s the one?”

Peggy tucked her feet under her on the couch and leaned against the arm of the couch, considering her question. A moment later, she she broke into the biggest smile, the kind that made her cheeks ache. “I know he is. I never thought I’d find anyone after Steve died, but…” Peggy smiled, fondly remembering her captain. “Daniel reminds me of him. He’s kind, and respectful, but he’s not afraid to call me out on things.” She stopped, surprised at the lump in her throat.

“Aww, sweetie,” Angie scooted across the couch and wrapped her arms around Peggy. “Are you happy? Or are you having second thoughts?”

“I’m happy, I really am. I miss him, but Daniel…” she paused, placing her hands on Angie’s arm across her chest, “Daniel is my new beginning.” She blinked rapidly, tears threatening. She almost never cried, over anything, but thinking about how lucky she was to find another person to love her made her eyes well. “I’m sorry, I’ve never been much of a crier.”

Angie’s arms tightened around her. “Don’t be sorry, English. If he makes you happy enough to make you cry, then that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Peggy leaned her head into her. “Thank you, Angie. You’re a wonderful friend.”

Angie made a happy noise before pecking a kiss to Peggy’s temple. “Always, English. Now come on,” she scooted back across the other side of the couch and picked up her fork again, “I got all the mushy stuff, now tell me all the nitty gritty details about Danny.”

Peggy laughed and launched into a story about the time that they both managed to lose their guns, badges and their only mode of transportation, which left them with the one option of calling Mr. Jarvis to come and drive them and their perp back to the office.

Halfway through the bottle of Schnapps, a rhubarb pie, and four stories about Daniel, the phone rang, and still laughing, Peggy stood, a bit unsteady on her feet.

“That’ll be for me. I asked him to call me before he tucked in for the night.” She made her way to the phone and picked up the receiver. “Hello?” she asked, unable to keep the smile out of her voice.

 _“Hey, Peg,”_ he smiled back. _“How’s your girls night?”_

“Good. We were just talking about you.”

_“So that’s why my ears are burning.”_

She gave an unladylike snort. “Nothing bad, I promise. How’s your trip?”

_“It’s alright, just long. But I should be there by noon tomorrow. How’s everything at our house?”_

She still couldn’t get used to hearing that phrase. Our house. Our new life. Our future. A giggle bubbled up in her throat, and through the haze in her mind she couldn’t suppress it. “It’s perfect.” She giggled again and she let out a breathy sigh, leaning against the wall. “Just as a warning, I may be hungover when you get here tomorrow. Or maybe still sloshed.”

He laughed, a sound that only made her smile even wider. _“I’ll make sure to unpack the bed first so you can sleep it off.”_

She hummed. “Or we could do other things,” she lilted, a purr rising in her throat.

He only laughed again and sighed. _“I’m going to let you go back to your girls night before this goes any further. Goodnight Peg, I’ll see you tomorrow.”_

“Goodnight Daniel. Love you.”

_“I love you too, Peg.”_

~~~~~~~~~

_February 21th, 1955 ~ New York_

Peggy sat at her table at the celebration party for the smashing success of Broadway’s newest musical, Damn Yankees. It was a black tie event, so she had pulled out a blue evening gown that Ana made for her years ago. It was in the style of Christian Dior — strapless with ruffled skirts that went down to the floor (perfect for hiding thigh holsters). As she waited for Dugan and her date to arrive, she toyed with her necklace, a gift to her from Daniel. She only wore it on special occasions, partly because of how nice it was, and partly because of the memories it brought back.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a gruff voice behind and a hand on her shoulder. “Miss Union Jack! Look at you, all dressed up.”

Peggy smiled up at Dugan, looking him up and down. “Look at you, dressed at all.”

He huffed and took the seat to her right. “It was one time, Peg. You just don’t forget, do you?”

She chuckled. “Not when it embarrasses you.” She turned in her seat to see her date standing behind her, his back ramrod straight. “Will, come sit down.” She smiled at the young man, hoping to calm his nerves.

He took the seat to her left, still as stiff as a board. “Yes ma’am.”

She sighed. “Will, please, call me Margaret. Tonight, I am not the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, and you are not my employee. Tonight I am your date, and we are to act as so unless we need to diffuse a situation.”

He nodded. “Yes… Margaret.” His voice was strained as he said her name, but at least he was improving.

Dugan spoke up and Peggy turned back to him. ‘Thanks for coming with us tonight, Peg. There’s no one quite as good as recon as you, and we’re going to need it, if my sources are right.”

“It’s my pleasure. I needed to get out tonight.”

He nodded. “I’m glad you did. I know you’ve had a hard time since Daniel died.”

Peggy felt her jaw tighten. She pulled on her thumb and resisted the urge to down her drink before looking back to Dugan, giving him a small smile. “It has been hard, but it’s getting easier after three years.”

He put his hand over hers and smiled back at her. “I’ll always be rough. But you’re a tough dame, Miss Union Jack. You’ll make it through, I know you will.”

She let out a mirthless chuckle. “I know it’s hard; believe me, I’ve gone through it twice.” She paused as her thoughts traveled back to the two men who had loved her and then died. Before she could ruin the mood any further, she changed the subject. “So, run me through the plan again.”

Dugan pointed to a man at a table on the other side of the room. “His name is Donny Shepherd, and he in contact with a lot of corrupt figures, especially ones in political seats. My sources tell me that he’s going to be making contact with Alec Doyle, who’s gunnin’ towards the governor's seat, and Shepherd is supposed to be giving a hefty and illegal donation to Doyle’s campaign. Now, we’ve got bugs in every private place they could possibly meet, so if we can catch the both of them in the act, we’ve got ‘em in the bag. So, until he does make contact, we’re undercover as donors of Broadway; you know, rich people with nothing else to do.”

Peggy nodded. “Easy enough. Everybody keep your eyes on them and follow them the moment they disappear. In the meantime, let’s mingle.”

Shepherd suddenly got up and made his way to another table, asking a tall brunette if she wanted to dance. She agreed, and soon they were waltzing along with dozens of other couples.

Peggy stood up and turned to Will, who was still sitting. “I assume you know how to waltz?”

He scrambled to his feet. “Yes ma— Margaret.”

“Good.” Peggy held out her hand, and after a moment, Will took it and they made their way to the floor.

Peggy hoped that the young agent would loosen up when they started dancing, but if anything he got stiffer. She sighed and pulled him closer to her. “I’m your date, not your grandmother. Hold me like you can stand to be around me.”

While he did hold her closer, he was still so stiff that he stuck out like a sore thumb in the crowd, so once the song ended she stepped away from him.

“Keep an eye on him from the dance floor. I’m going to watch from the bar.”

Will visibly slumped in relief and quickly dashed off to find another dance partner. Chuckling slightly at the green agent, Peggy made her way to the bar and ordered a whiskey. From there she tracked Shepherd, looking for any kind of suspicious activity, but all he did was dance, never straying from the floor.

Peggy felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Angie standing behind her, smirking.

She laughed, surprised by the happy butterflies in her stomach, a feeling so foreign that it took Peggy a moment to realize that it was the blonde who caused them. “Angie! I didn’t know you were going to be here!”

“I’m on Broadway, of course I’m going to be at their fancy parties. But never mind that, what are you doing here?”

“I’m on a mission,” Peggy admitted, sipping her drink before setting it down.

Angie gasped and leaned her elbow against the bar. “You have dirt on someone? Who? Spill.”

Peggy decided to trust the blonde and leaned closer, pointing out Shepherd. “He has contacts with some smarmy politicians. Rumor is he’s making contact with one of them tonight, and we’re here to catch him in the act.”

“I believe that,” Angie said, swirling the contents of her champagne flute. “I saw him in Silk Stockings, and I knew there was something off with him.”

Peggy tipped her head towards Angie. “You’ve good instincts, you’d make a wonderful agent.”

Angie grinned, setting down her champagne flute. “So I could join you and your super secret crime fighting organization?”

Peggy sighed and playfully rolled her eyes. “It’s not “super secret”, we just… don’t announce ourselves to the world.”

“Isn’t that by definition super secret?”

Peggy just laughed and scanned the dance floor (nothing new) before leaning against the bar.

“So,” Angie started, “how are you doing? I know these past few years have been rough for you.”

Peggy pulled on her thumb again. “I’m alright. I know I haven’t been the best friend, as I’ve been,” she huffed out a laugh, “well, locked in my office for the better part of three years, but…” Peggy was silent for a minute. How did she describe what she was feeling now? How could words explain the pain she’s felt, yet the longing and excitement that was now in her heart?

“I feel as though I’m ready to rejoin the world. Like time stopped for those three years, and it’s begun again and I want to live, and not just in my office. I want to be out in the world, with people, with…” she looked over at Angie, the butterflies suddenly making her confident, “with you.”

Peggy held her breath, unsure as to how the blonde would react to her small hint. She’d been slowly realizing her crush on the blonde for the past several months, and normally she didn’t act on it, but tonight felt different. The excitement in her stomach had caught her off guard, and instead of playing it safe and assuming Angie wasn’t interested, Peggy decided to take a leap of faith and test the waters with the blonde.

Angie placed her hand on top of Peggy’s and stroked her knuckles, pulling her out of her reverie. She glanced up at Angie to see her staring at their hands, her mouth open as though she wanted to confess something, but in the end, all Angie managed to say was, “I’m glad you’ve decided to live, English.”

Peggy looked back at their hands, and in that moment words failed her as the feeling of Angie's touch was much too distracting. She wanted to take it and test the boundaries with the blonde, but Peggy wasn’t sure how it would be received, especially in such a public setting. 

Instead of letting herself mull over the situation, Peggy turned her hand until it was open, letting Angie decide whether or not to take it. There was a moment of hesitation, and Peggy began to wonder if she read the situation all wrong, but then, in a wonderfully slow second, Angie threaded her fingers through Peggy’s and squeezed.

“Are you with anyone tonight?” Angie asked.

The butterflies in her stomach suddenly leapt into Peggy’s throat as she met the beautiful woman’s gaze, and her breath was taken away; those shocking blue eyes held tenderness, and something akin to shyness (an emotion that Peggy had never known Angie to feel), but most importantly they reflected the same attraction and interest that Peggy knew were in her own, and the sight made her want to reach over and pull the blonde into a kiss. Instead, Peggy pushed that aside and steeled herself, trying to ignore Angie’s lips. “There’s a green agent who’s supposed to be acting as my date, but he’s too nervous to even be around me.”

Angie grinned, then picked up her champagne flute and downed it, gathering courage. Then she straightened and stepped away from the bar, tugging Peggy along with her.

“Dance with me,” she smirked, relishing in the thought of being in Peggy’s arms.

Peggy’s eyes widened as she followed Angie. She was suddenly very aware of the number of people in the ballroom. “Are you sure? Is that okay for us to do?”

Angie stopped at the edge of the dance floor and nodded. “No one will look twice at us, I promise.” Peggy raised an eyebrow, still unsure, so Angie leaned in closer and whispered to her, “half the people here are queer and are now too drunk to hide it. Look.”

Peggy eyes scanned the dance floor, first seeing that Shepherd hadn’t snuck off anywhere, and then finding Angie’s assessment to be true; men and women were dancing together, some even sneaking kisses in when they thought no one was looking. They’d blend right in.

Peggy glanced at the blonde and gave her a crooked smile before spinning Angie around and pulling her onto the dance floor, delighting in the squeal of laughter she let out. That laughter continued as Peggy lead them in a playful waltz that matched the upbeat song, and soon they were both giggling as they glided around the room, suddenly nothing in the world but the two of them and the music.

The song ended, and a few seconds later the orchestra started something slow and romantic, a song meant to be danced to by two lovers. Peggy half expected the blonde to step away, saying that it wasn’t like that, but Angie only moved closer, bringing their clasped hands to her chest as her other hand found a spot on the back of Peggy’s neck, fingers curling into the hair on her nape. It was a delightful feeling, shivers going down Peggy’s spine, and she found her free hand drifting to Angie’s lower back, pulling her closer until she could feel the heat of the blonde’s body even through the dress.

“Is this alright?” Peggy asked in a low voice, not wanting to force Angie into anything.

“Alright? English, it’s more than alright, this is perfect.” Angie blushed slightly as she realized the immensity of her statement, but didn’t retract it; it was true, after all.

Peggy’s chest swelled at the blonde’s words. Angie was just as interested as she was, she wanted to be here, in her arms, and that realization made it very hard to suppress the joyous laughter bubbling up in her throat. Instead, she settled for swaying them back and forth, relishing the feeling of the blonde nuzzling into her neck.

“Peggy, am I dreaming?” Angie murmured, her eyelashes fluttering against Peggy’s cheek.

Peggy smiled and pressed her hand deeper into the small of Angie’s back. “No darling, this is real.”

“Good, because I’ve danced with a lot of people, and it’s never felt like this before. This feels so right, and I—” Angie stopped suddenly, glancing up at Peggy with wide eyes. She was afraid she’d said too much, that she was going too fast and Peggy would retreat and never speak to her again, but Peggy just pressed Angie impossibly closer.

“Angie, don’t be afraid, I—” she stopped and sighed, cupping Angie’s jaw and softly tangling her fingers in the blonde’s hair. “I’ve never been good with words, I can never find the right ones at the right time, but I just want to tell you that I—” she stopped again and took a deep breath. “I like this, I like _you_. This feels good and right, and I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner, I wish I could—”

Angie put a finger on Peggy’s lips to stop her, shaking her head. “Don’t be sorry, Peggy, ever. To be honest, I didn’t see it until a couple of months ago — remember that night you came to my show, and when it was over you brought me flowers and hugged me, and then we went out for dinner at midnight?”

Peggy grinned, remembering that night. She’d wanted to do so much more than hug her that night, but she didn’t want to sacrifice her friendship with Angie on something so frivolous.

Angie continued. “I realized that night that you’re the only person I want to go on midnight dinners with. I don’t care what other people say, you’re the person I want to spend my life with, because this is perfect and beautiful, and I...” she trailed off, her words running out as she gazed up at the brunette.

Peggy stared into crystal blue eyes that held a glimmer that made her breath catch in a way it hadn’t in three years. She wanted to lean down and kiss the blonde, to say everything she couldn’t with a single action, but movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she looked up to see Shepherd and Doyle slipping through a side door. She suddenly straightened, seamlessly transitioning from Peggy to Agent Carter.

“They’re sneaking off.” She stepped away from Angie before hesitating a moment, touching her arm. “I’ll be right back, I promise. Stay here.”

With that Peggy hiked up her skirts and followed Shepherd through the side door and into a hallway, making sure no one was around before fishing her gun out from under her dress. Once armed, she looked around, noticing that there were three unmarked doors on either side, that this hallway turned into another one about fifty feet down, and that the dim lighting did nothing to hide the garish pattern on the carpet. She crept over to the first door on the right and tried it, only to find it locked. She debated trying the other ones, but doubted that Shepherd would be in any of them, so instead she followed the hallway down and snuck around the corner, finding this hallway to be identical, except that the third door on the right was cracked, and she could hear the low murmurs of voices coming from the room. She smirked and snuck closer, straining to hear what they said.

There was a light tap on her shoulder and Peggy whirled around with her gun drawn, only to find Angie at the other end. She lowered it, giving the blonde an incredulous look before dragging her around the corner of the hallway.

“Angie! I told you to stay in the ballroom, it isn’t safe in here,” Peggy whispered with as much force as she could, making up for the low volume with a glare.

“No it’s not, so why did you run off to confront these guys alone? You could get hurt, Peg, and I’m not letting that happen, not since I know we have a future.”

Peggy softened at the blonde’s words, wishing she the time to bask in her love for Angie. “I’ll be fine, I always am.”

“What if you’re not? This isn’t a time to bet on luck, this is your life.” Peggy opened her mouth to protest, but a touch to her arm stopped her. “I can at least scream if you get in trouble.”

Peggy wanted to continue arguing, but she didn’t have the time to overcome the blonde’s stubborn streak, especially since there was a suspect in the adjacent room. “Fine,” she murmured, “but do as I say, alright?”

Angie eagerly nodded, so Peggy, still not quite believing she was letting Angie stay with her, crept around the corner and over to the room Shepherd and Doyle were in, flattening herself to the wall. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, so she made to step closer, but as she shifted her weight, the floorboard underneath her gave a very loud creak. She jumped off, cursing the heels she was wearing and hoped that Shepherd and Doyle didn’t hear it, but the pause in their talking told her that they did. There was a murmur, and then the scraping of chairs and footsteps, so Peggy moved back around the corner, pushing Angie further behind her. The door squeaked as it swung open, and Peggy could hear the conversation between the two men.

“See? I told you there wasn’t anyone out here,” said one of the men, though Peggy wasn’t sure who it was.

“I’m telling you, I heard something. Come on, let’s look around the corner.”

Peggy raised her gun, ready to confront them when they turned the corner, but the distinct sound of two safeties being clicked off sent a bolt of panic through her. Two guns against one was risky as it was, but Angie was with her, and nothing would stop her from protecting the blonde.

Several seconds before the men would turn the corner, a plan sparked in Peggy’s mind. She quickly dropped her gun and pulled her skirts over it, then turned to face Angie, leaning close to whisper in her ear.

“Angie, do you trust me?”

“Of course,” Angie replied without hesitation, “with what?”

“A diversion.” And with that, Peggy kissed the blonde just as Shepherd and Doyle rounded the corner.

Angie stiffened at first, surprised, but it only took her a moment to relax into the kiss, her tongue sweeping across Peggy’s bottom lip. The brunette immediately responded, her hands roaming her sides and pulling the blonde closer while she nipped at her lip, and Angie had to stifle a moan. She hadn’t pictured their first kiss as being a distraction so they wouldn’t be killed, but as long as she got to continue kissing Peggy Carter, Angie didn’t really care.

Peggy so badly wanted to relax and let Angie have her way with her, but instead she watched out of the corner of hooded eyes as Doyle and Shepherd stopped and stared at them before snickering, walking back to the room as they joked with one another about their peep show.

The door shut with a click, and Peggy prepared for Angie to step away, but if anything the blonde kissed her harder, hands grabbing at her waist and pushing Peggy against the wall. The brunette couldn’t help her little whimper as her back hit the wall, and she had to grab onto Angie, her knees suddenly weak. 

The couple broke for air, chests heaving as they pressed their foreheads together. Angie opened her eyes and gazed up at Peggy before smiling a bit. The brunette smiled back, letting out a small sigh of relief.

“I didn’t know how you were going to react to that,” Peggy murmured.

“To being kissed by the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen?” Angie snorted softly, pecking another kiss to Peggy’s lips, “honey, I’d have to be dead to not react well to that.”

Peggy blushed, thankful for the dim lighting to hide it. “Well, we’ll have to see what you say when I can kiss you without being distracted by men trying to kill us. In the meantime,” she untangled herself from the blonde, bending down to pick up her gun, “I have a crooked politician to catch.”

At that moment, Dugan came through the door at the end of the hallway, closely followed by Will, and Peggy was grateful that her and Angie had separated a moment earlier. “I saw Shepherd and Doyle sneak in here; we came as quickly as we could. Did we miss anything, Union Jack?” He may still call her by that dreadful nickname, but at least he had the decency to be quiet.

Peggy shook her head. “I was just about to go in. They’re both armed, so be careful; Dugan, do you have handcuffs?”

He nodded and pulled a pair out of his pocket, tossing them to her. She tucked them into her dress, and as her, Dugan, and Will crept around the corner and got into position, she glanced over at Angie and shot her a small smile. Then she looked to Dugan and nodded, and he put his hand on the doorknob and ticked his fingers to three, then opening the door as the three of them ran in.

There was a long conference table in the middle of the room, and Shepherd and Doyle were sitting at one end of it, a black briefcase sitting between them. They stood at the sound of the commotion, but they didn’t even have time to draw their guns before Peggy and Dugan had grabbed them, putting them in handcuffs while Will cleared the rest of the room.

“What is this? What charges could you possibly have on us?” Shepherd yelled. Peggy motioned for Will to take him and she walked over to where they were sitting.

“Corruption, treason, and bribery,” Peggy said, bending to look under the table.

“You have no proof of anything,” Doyle snorted, sounding rather smug.

Peggy straightened, pulling the bug off and showing it to Doyle, delighting in the way the blood drained from his face. “But we do have proof, and if I’m right,” she turned the briefcase and opened it, smiling, “this case of approximately fifty thousand dollars will give us enough evidence to convict the both of you of every crime I just listed.”

Doyle just scowled at her, obviously at a loss for words. Instead, Peggy looked at Dugan and Will, giving them a slight smile. “I trust you two can handle this from here?”

He nodded. “We got it from here, Director,” he said, grinning at her.

Peggy followed them out the door and closed it behind her, looking over at Angie, who was smirking at her.

“So,” the blonde started, sauntering over to Peggy, “have you finished your crime fighting for the evening?”

Peggy chuckled and traced her finger down the blonde’s arm. “Only as long as a certain blonde stays out of trouble.”

Angie beamed, wrapping her arms around Peggy’s neck. “I will be a perfect saint if it means that I get to be with you—“ she paused a moment, reconsidering her thought, “well, maybe not perfect.”

Peggy hummed in response. “I know this Italian place close by, would you like to leave this party early and have dinner with me?”

Angie smirked and leaned close to Peggy, her lips a whisper away from the brunette’s. “Honey, if you want to eat Italian we could just head back to my place.”

Peggy’s eyes widened at the blonde’s innuendo, surprised at how daring she was, but if this was the game, she could play too.

Peggy buried her hands in Angie’s hair, tugging softly until the blonde looked up at her, trapped by her hands.

“Your place it is then,” Peggy smirked, bending down and kissing the blonde hard until everything disappeared except the two of them.

**Author's Note:**

> While this is my 78th fic, this is my first foray into the world of Cartinelli, so please let me know how it was!


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